A typology of violent incidents, elderly perpetrators and victims of violence in social care homes – the Polish experience

Purpose As Polish society ages and the family is not always capable or willing to provide care for an elderly family member, the role of and demand for institutional support will continue to increase. That is why the topic of institutional violence and knowledge about the typology of violent incidents, elderly perpetrators and victims of violence is so important. The purpose of this paper is to present an original typology of situations of violence, as well as elderly victims and perpetrators of institutional violence. This paper reports findings from a qualitative study on institutional violence against older people in social care homes in Poland. Design/methodology/approach The following paper is based on empirical qualitative research, conducted through multiple case studies, with in-depth interviews among 60 residents and 30 employees in three nursing homes, and focuses on the issue of institutional violence occurring in care institutions. Findings The nine types of violent situations distinguished based on research results involved: alcohol abuse, mental illness, disability, inability to cooperate, unpredictable reactions, rivalry, ridicule, demands and objectification of residents; the four types of elderly victims of institutional violence were: withdrawn, naive, submissive and resistant; the seven types of elderly perpetrators were: the loser in life, the victim, self-absorbed, domineering, insecure, seemingly calm and malicious. Originality/value Little empirical research in Poland in the field of institutional violence has so far been devoted to the problem of institutional violence involving elderly people as both victims and perpetrators. Therefore, so far, no typology has been developed of the various situations of violence occurring in care homes or of elderly people as both perpetrators and victims of abuse and neglect.